Enhanced delivery of audio data for portable playback

• US 20060271646A1
• Filed: 05/09/2006
• Published: 11/30/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/1995
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ironworks Patents LLC
• Original Assignee: MobileMedia Ideas LLC
• Inventors: Janky, James M., Schulhof, Nathan
• Granted Patent: US 8,423,626 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/219
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/305 Internet or TCP/IP protocol use for any electrophonic musical instrument data or musical parameter transmission purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/00 Speech synthesis; Text to speech systems
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00086 Circuits for prevention of unauthorised reproduction or copying, e.g. piracy indicating unauthorised use of record carriers in general G11B23/28; scrambling for television signal recording H04N5/913; network architectures or network protocols for network security H04L63/00; cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for secret or secure communication H04L9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/0021 involving encryption or decryption of contents recorded on or reproduced from a record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00797 wherein the usage restriction limits the number of times a content can be reproduced, e.g. using playback counters
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00855 involving a step of exchanging information with a remote server
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00869 wherein the remote server can deliver the content to a receiving device
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/10 Digital recording or reproducing
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/10527 Audio or video recording; Data buffering arrangements G11B20/12 - G11B20/18 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2020/00014 the compressed signal being an audio signal
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2020/10546 specifically adapted for audio data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/04 for providing a confidential data exchange among entities communicating through data packet networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/04 Protocols for data compression, e.g. ROHC
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A system for selection by a user and delivery to the user over an internetwork transmission channel of selected audio data files at a delivery rate of at least twice the delivery rate for normal, audibly perceptible playback of an audio data file. The user registers the user'"'"'s selection of audio material with a central library of audio and/or text data files, and a digitized and optionally compressed omnibus file containing the user'"'"'s selections is prepared and transmitted to the user at a high data transfer rate. The user receives downloads the selected data files to a personal computer or to a portable storage and playback unit (SPU) that may store and play back digitized text or audio data, using a docking station. The user carries this SPU until the user has an opportunity to audio process and play back the text or audio data files in audibly perceptible form.

Claims

1-25. -25. (canceled)

26. A portable audio playback device comprising:

a data interface;

a control interface;

an audio output;

a storage medium; and

a microprocessor connected to said data interface, said control interface, said audio output and said storage medium,

wherein said microprocessor is configured to receive audio data through said data interface, store the audio data on said storage medium, and control playback of at least a portion of the audio data through said audio output based on use allocation information associated with the audio data.

27. The portable audio playback device of claim 26 wherein the use allocation information indicates a predetermined number of times the audio data may be played.

28. The portable audio playback device of claim 27 wherein the predetermined number of times is a function of an amount paid by a subscriber.

29. The portable audio playback device of claim 26 wherein the use allocation information indicates that the audio data may be played an unlimited number of times.

30. The portable audio playback device of claim 26 wherein the audio data is encrypted.

31. The portable audio playback device of claim 26 wherein the audio data has limited audio bandwidth.

32. A portable apparatus comprising:

a storage unit configured to store digital audio data; and

a playback unit for playing back the data;

wherein the apparatus is configured to communicate, via a docking station, with a computer connectable to a communications link for downloading the data from a remote location and uploading the data to the apparatus for storage in the storage unit.

33. The portable apparatus of claim 32 wherein downloading the data from the remote location is controlled by the computer.

34. The portable apparatus of claim 32 wherein uploading the data to the apparatus is controlled by the computer.

35. The portable apparatus of claim 32 wherein the audio data has limited audio bandwidth.

36. A digital audio storage and playback system, comprising:

a portable apparatus including a storage unit to store digital audio data and a playback unit configured to play back the data;

a docking station capable of communicating with the portable apparatus; and

a computer connected to the docking station and connectable to a communications link for downloading the data from a remote location and uploading the data to the apparatus.

37. The system of claim 36 wherein downloading the data from the remote location is controlled by the computer.

38. The system of claim 36 wherein uploading the data to the apparatus is controlled by the computer.

39. The system of claim 36 wherein the audio data has limited audio bandwidth.

40. A portable apparatus to playback audio data, comprising:

a connector configured to connect to a docking station which is connected to a host computer configured to download audio data via the Internet;

a storage unit configured to store the audio data transferred through the docking station from the host computer; and

a playback unit configured to play back the audio data.

41. The portable apparatus of claim 40 wherein said storage unit comprises a hard drive.

42. The portable apparatus of claim 40 wherein said audio data is transferred in a digital compression format.

43. The portable apparatus of claim 40 wherein said audio data is encrypted.

44. The portable apparatus of claim 40 wherein said host computer is configured to download the audio data wirelessly.

45. An audio information storage and playback system, comprising:

a computer and associated data interface, programmed to receive and extract an audio data file from an incoming signal over an internetwork channel at a transfer rate that is greater than a playback rate for audibly perceptible playback of information contained in the data file; and

a docking station, connected to the computer and adapted for receiving a playback module that receives and stores the data file from the computer and that provides audibly perceptible playback of the data file.

46. A digital audio storage and playback system, comprising:

a portable apparatus including a playback unit configured to play digital audio data and a storage unit to store digital audio data; and

a docking station configured to receive and couple to the portable apparatus, the docking station further configured to connect with a computer to enable the portable apparatus to receive digital audio data from the computer for storage in the storage unit.